" Those million dollars will change my life very much Jenny and I'll do it over and over again if it would settle my family's debts and make me live a comfortable life, what more do I need? " Carla meant it to be a rhetorical question but Jenny answered anyway.
" Love " She said quietly and added " Love is missing in your life Carla, it's high time you searched for it "
Carla laughed without humor " I don't need that, the word is not in my dictionary " She replied as she stared at the wall where a picture of her and Jenny was hung.
Jenny sighed " Have you thought about this very well? You'd be making a very crucial decision Carla, and this is a very big step, are you ready to take it? Remember, one year or not, this phase will have an impact on your life, are you ready? "
Carla didn't reply at once, instead she stared at the wall a little bit longer before turning her attention back to Jenny.
She nodded slowly " Either way, I'm gonna do this Jenny, I'll still think about it but my mind is made up "
Jenny rolled her eyes " You don't have to think about it since your mind is made up already "
Carla closed her eyes briefly and stood up " I don't have strength for your banter tonight Jenny, Good night " She said weakly and started walking towards her bedroom.
" Good night! And make a very wise decision, okay? " Jenny shouted after her.
Carla barely heard her as she entered her room and closed the door. She landed on the bed with a soft thump, clothes on and everything. She had managed to kick off her shoes when she came in.
" Liam " She said under her breath. She was sure she wouldn't sleep a wink tonight, she had some thinking to do.
" Liam " She whispered again and again. She kept saying his name, tasting the feel of him on her tongue. The word she repeated seemed to be a lullaby as she slept in minutes. So much for wanting to think some things through.
*********
She woke up to the blinding sunlight and groaned, turning to the other side of the bed to get more sleep. Something seemed to click in her head and her eyes flew open in seconds.
" Oh shit! I'm late for work! " She muttered some more profanities that were unladylike and dashed into the bathroom.
She started to undress " Fuck, I should have done this in the room before coming in here " She mumbled. Pausing at the mirror, she looked at herself and frowned, she looked different than her usual morning look. Way different, she noticed. Dull and hollow, maybe. She swept her hands through her messed up hair and memories of last night washed through her. She felt a new wave of shock coursed through her immediately and she squatted down helplessly. She had said she would think things over but why had she fallen asleep? Could Liam's name had done a magic to her body and made her fall into deep sleep? She wondered.
She remembered that she had made up her mind to go through with the deal Liam offered her. She would sacrifice herself and marry him if it would solve all of her problems. Deciding she would go through with it come hell or water, she proceeded to take her bath. She dressed up for work quickly and went out, locking the door securely behind her. Jenny had left her a note earlier, saying she had gone to the restaurant and had stated it clearly that Carla should make a very wise decision and come over to the restaurant later after work to gist her about everything that conspired between she ( Carla ) and Liam.
Her mind was so occupied with thoughts of Liam that she was oblivious to the fact that they had arrived at her workplace until the taxi driver looked at her from the rearview mirror. She felt his gaze on her and snapped her head up.
" Oh! We're here already! " She exclaimed and paid the driver before getting out in a hurry.
She ran into the company and greeted the few people she recognized. She went into Amanda's office to say Hi to her too before going straight into Liam's office. He was there already, typing furiously on his computer.
" Morning Liam " She greeted politely and started walking towards her seat but his voice stopped her.
" Morning Carla, come here for some minutes, we need to talk "
She groaned inwardly, thinking she was not ready for this, not early in the morning at least. She went to him anyway and took the seat opposite him.
" How was your night? " He asked pleasantly.
" It was okay, I slept well, what's up? " She answered, cutting straight to the chase with a raised eyebrow.
" Have you thought about what we talked about last night? I can see you have made your decision, come on spill it out " Liam said, looking at her intently.
Carla felt anger started to rise from within her " Isn't it a bit too early to ask me about that? And how did you know I've made up my mind? " She flared up with a sneer.
Surprisingly, Liam bursted into laughter " Geez! Why are you being so itchy? Did you fight someone in the Dreamland? " And he laughed harder.
Carla threw him a glare which shut him up immediately.
" I just asked if you've arrived at a decision on what we talked about " He said in a small voice.
She rolled her eyes " No you didn't ask, you commanded me to spill it "
" Of course I did ask you! " He exclaimed.
" No you didn't! " She fired back.
" I did! " He shouted.
" You didn't! " She said in the same loud voice.
They went on like that for more minutes until Amanda popped her head in " What's going on? I was passing by and I heard you guys arguing, are you okay? "